Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Fighting-related activities had taken a bit of a back seat as of late, but are making a come-back. I went to the San Jose Civic Center on August 17th, to attend Born To Fight. Originally a San Shou smoker organized by Cung Le's gym, BTF has evolved over time to encompass more martial arts. This year, it was broken down into a morning of submission grappling, and an afternoon of stand-up (Muay Thai and San Shou), topped with super-fights. It was a great event; about every gym in the area was represented, and, between the 4 grappling mats and the full ring, the place was buzzing with activity, and felt like a celebration to fighting. I messed up the planning a bit though; I arrived slightly too late to see a good friend of mine who was competing in grappling in the morning, and missed most of the fighters of my gym because I had to leave early - but it was still fun.This week-end, I went to my usual sports bar to watch UFC 74, "Respect", and witnessed a 44-year old Randy Couture demolish in Gabriel Gonzaga a contender over 15 years younger than him, and about 25 pounds heavier; as if this weren't enough, Couture fought the third and final round with a broken arm. That helped put back things in perspective for me. I am finally going back to the gym, training 3 times a week, and have been continuously sore for ten days now; but after seeing Couture's performance, my own physical issues seem much less impressive. Suck it up, and train some more!